This article was first published here at Table8 where I am national editor. Whether a wine shop serving food with areas to hang out and linger or a wine bar with food menus, these 4 spots, most of them brand new, have informed staff, serve quality wines and sometimes even good food. Wine Down, SoMa Gracious founders/co-owners Sarah Garand & Jaime… Read more →
This Issue:
— Top 12 Bay Area Cocktails Now: What’s exciting and delicious on menus now from SF to Oakland.
— 9 Restaurants Worth Visiting in Chicago Now: From Indian-British pub fare (with excellent beer) to a Macanese bakery.
— Where to Drink Now in Chicago: 10 top bars, new and established, for great cocktails.
— Highlights of Tales of the Cocktail 2016: Top moments from another unforgettable (exhausting) Tales in New Orleans.
As ever, San Francisco remains a cocktail paradise, the pioneering city that has reached excellence across the board: at restaurants, hole-in-the-walls and cocktail dens, there are too many great drinks to count. But I am counting and here are 12 cocktails, in bars/restaurants from SF to Oakland, worth drinking now. 1. A Boozy, Citrus-Free Mai Tai at P.C.H. Wherever Kevin… Read more →
This article was first published in two parts (one and two) at Table8 where I am national editor. Chicago ever remains one of the country’s great food towns. My recent return to visit family, friends and attend the James Beard Awards and surrounding activities as a judge, of course, yielded more worthwhile spots in a range of prices and categories.… Read more →
This article was first published here at Table8 where I am national editor. More on Chicago food recommends here. Chicago ever remains a great drinking town. My recent return to visit family, friends and attend the James Beard Awards, yielded more worthwhile spots. I appreciate the vibe and the gracious service at Tiki favorite, Lost Lake, especially post-fire with their… Read more →
Going off and on since 2010, Tales of the Cocktail remains the most exhausting, exhilarating reunion of spirits and cocktail folk — many from the best restaurants, bars and brands — in the world. For some of us, the nightly parties have become too big, loud and not really a showcase for drink, while the peak of summer oppressiveness in… Read more →
This issue:
— SF’s Top 2 June Restaurant Openings: Plus 3 honorable mentions and 2 excellent new cocktail bars.
— 54 Mint: Transported to Italy with rare Italian spirits & a burrata foam-topped, San Marzano tomato cocktail.
— Your Secret Sherry Destination: Sherry lovers, this newer bar holds a surprising collection of excellent sherries.
— 16 of the World’s Best Chefs Cook Together for One Night: An unreal, 16 course meal held in two parts at Benu and In Situ.
This article was first published here at Table8 where I am national editor. The 9 key restaurant and bar openings of June are Louie’s Gen-Gen Room, Tawla, Dum, In Situ, Two Birds/One Stone in St. Helena, P.C.H. (Pacific Cocktail Haven), Tratto, Duke’s Spirited Cocktails in Healdsburg and Agave Uptown in Oakland. Corridor, which opened at the end of the month,… Read more →
I’m transported straight back to Italy. But it’s not the housemade pasta, classic Negronis or the hanging prosciutto. This is all transporting, certainly, but I can find this in numerous Italian havens in San Francisco. With Japan a close second, Italy is my favorite country, a place I’ve traveled to multiple times in numerous regions. I crave and long for… Read more →
San Francisco was a pioneering city on the current sherry scene. Though sherry is still a spirits’ geek and bartender favorite more than it is a mainstream imbibement, there are now SherryFests and sherry-centric cocktail menus around the US, in keeping with the growth in popularity of spirits and fortified wines everywhere. A decade ago as I dug deeper into… Read more →